It was dark when two mysterious, shrouded figures appeared in the hillside village. The strangers knocked on every door in town, asking for food and shelter. But, again and again, they were turned away. Soon, there was just one door left: that of a small, thatched shack.
在黑暗中,兩個神秘隱蔽的身影 出現在山腰上的村落裡。 這兩位陌生人在鎮上挨家挨戶敲門, 請求食物和棲身處。 但他們一再地被拒絕。 沒多久,就只剩下一戶還沒問了: 一間小型的茅草棚屋。
An elderly couple, Baucis and Philemon, answered the thunderous knock. Although there was something off about these visitors, it was in the pair’s nature to care for those in need. Philemon invited them to rest, and the cottage flooded with warmth as Baucis teased the fire back to life.
一對老夫妻, 鮑西絲和費萊蒙, 回應了雷聲般的敲門聲。 雖然這兩位訪客似乎 有什麼不對勁的地方, 出於本性,這對夫妻 仍然想要照顧有需求的人。 費萊蒙邀請他們進來休息, 小屋內暖烘烘的, 因為鮑西絲又重新讓火燃起來。
When they were young, Baucis and Philemon had fallen in love, married, and settled in the humble cottage. Decades later, their home was still standing— and they were more devoted to each other than ever.
年輕的時候, 鮑西絲和費萊蒙陷入熱戀, 他們結了婚,在簡陋的小屋定居。 數十年後, 他們的家仍然屹立—— 他們對彼此也更忠誠專一。
The strangers watched intently as Baucis nestled twigs under a battered pot
兩位陌生人專注地看著
filled with vegetables. The couple could rarely afford meat, but in honor of their guests, Philemon cut strips from an aging shank for the stew. They made cheerful conversation and offered their visitors hot baths. Baucis used a chip of broken clay to balance the wobbly table’s legs and rubbed its surface with mint until it smelled sweet and fresh. Weaving around each other with care, the couple transformed what they had into a feast. Soon, the tabletop overflowed with food and the last of their sweet wine.
鮑西絲在老舊的鍋子 下面放置小樹枝, 鍋中滿是蔬菜。 這對夫妻幾乎負擔不起肉類, 但為了招待賓客, 費萊蒙從一塊很老的 小腿肉上切下肉條 來烹煮。 他們愉快地談話, 並提供熱水澡給他們的訪客。 鮑西絲把一片黏土破片 放在桌腳下,讓搖晃的桌子能平衡, 再用薄荷來擦桌面, 直到桌面聞起來又芳香又清新。 帶著關懷,在彼此身邊搖晃地走著, 這對夫妻用手邊現有的素材 變出了一頓盛宴。 沒多久,桌面上就滿是 食物以及他們的最後一瓶美酒。
Privately, Baucis and Philemon worried that their provisions would run out. Yet, as the night wore on, and their strange guests took hearty gulps of wine, the clay vessel never ran dry. The couple, at first relieved, grew terrified. Their guests weren’t humble peasants traveling the countryside. They were almost certainly gods in disguise— but which gods, they didn’t know.
鮑西絲和費萊蒙在私底下 擔心他們的糧食會用盡。 但,隨著夜漸深, 這兩位奇怪的賓客盡情地大口飲酒, 黏土酒瓶卻始終沒有見底。 這對夫妻一開始是鬆了一口氣, 然後開始害怕。 他們的賓客並非 旅經鄉間的卑微農民。 幾乎可以確定他們就是 偽裝成人的神—— 但他們不知道是哪兩位神。
Panicked that their preparations were inadequate, Baucis and Philemon searched for another offering. The only precious thing left was the goose that guarded their home. The couple repeatedly lunged after the bird, but they were too worn out for the chase. So, they prepared to receive the wrath of the gods.
出於害怕他們準備的東西不妥當, 鮑西絲和費萊蒙又去找 還有什麼能拿來招待。 唯一省下的珍品就是 看守他們家園的鵝。 這對夫妻不斷撲向那隻鵝, 但追逐讓他們筋疲力竭。 所以他們準備好了要承受神的憤怒。
Their guests rose up, shedding their rags and mortal masks. Looming before them was Zeus, the storm-brewing ruler of the gods, and his son, Hermes, the fleet-footed messenger who shepherded mortals to the underworld. The gods told the old couple that, unlike the other townspeople, they had shown true xenia, or loving hospitality to strangers. They alone had passed the test.
他們的賓客站起來, 除去披在身上的布以及凡人的面具。 出現在眼前的是令人生畏的宙斯, 他是呼風喚雨的眾神統治者, 另一位是他的兒子赫密士, 是護送凡人到陰間的敏捷信差。 兩神告訴這對夫妻, 和鎮上其他人不同, 他們展現了真正的好客, 或是說對陌生人的慈愛款待。 只有他們通過了考驗。
The gods commanded the couple to follow them, and the group ascended the nearest mountain. Nearing the summit, Baucis and Philemon looked back— but were shocked to see a murky swamp where their village stood just moments before. As punishment for refusing to shelter the gods, Zeus and Hermes had cast the townspeople underwater, leaving only their hosts’ home intact, Recalling their friends and neighbors, Baucis and Philemon couldn’t hide their terror and mournful tears, even as their house transformed below. It grew larger and sprouted marble pillars and steps. Legends etched themselves onto its grand doors. Their rickety cottage had metamorphosed into a gleaming temple for the gods.
兩神命令這對夫妻跟著祂們, 大夥登上了最近的山上。 接近頂峰時, 鮑西絲和費萊蒙回頭看—— 大吃一驚,他們看到 一片黑暗的沼澤, 不久前那個位置還是他們的村落。 為了懲罰拒絕提供棲身處給神的人, 宙斯和赫密士 把鎮民通通丟入水底, 只有招待祂們的東道主, 房子還能不受影響。 想到他們的朋友和鄰居, 鮑西絲和費萊蒙 再也藏不住他們的驚駭 和悲傷的眼淚, 即使他們底下的房子已經改觀了。 房子變大了, 還長出大理石柱和階梯。 傳奇將自己蝕刻在房子的堂皇大門上。 他們那搖搖晃晃的小屋 變成了閃閃發光的神殿。
Hermes commended the couple and gently asked if there was anything they desired. After a brief discussion, Philemon requested that he and Baucis be permitted to care for the new temple. And he asked if, when their time came, they could die together, so neither would have to face life without the other.
赫密士稱讚了這對夫妻, 並溫柔地詢問他們有沒有想要什麼。 經過簡短的討論, 費萊蒙的請願是他和鮑西絲 能獲准去照顧這個新神殿。 他還有個請求,當他們的時候到了, 希望能夠一起死去, 這麼一來,誰都不用面臨 沒有對方的日子。
Tending to the temple and one another, they lived many more years. Until, one day, Baucis noticed leaves fluttering from her husband’s hands and looked down to find her own skin hardening. They embraced, becoming rooted in place. Vines wound around their legs and canopies flourished overhead. They bid each other a loving, last farewell as humans. And where Baucis and Philemon had just stood, bent with age, there towered a linden and an oak tree, their branches intertwined for eternity.
照顧著神殿,也照顧著彼此, 他們又活了許多年。 直到有一天, 鮑西絲注意到樹葉 從她先生的手中飄起來, 低頭看時,發現 她自己的皮膚在變硬。 他們互相擁抱, 在原地生根。 藤蔓纏繞他們的腿, 樹冠在他們頭上茂盛生長。 他們給了彼此慈愛的道別, 身為人的最後一次道別。 鮑西絲和費萊蒙先前站立著, 並隨著時間漸漸彎曲的地方, 長出了一棵菩提樹和一棵橡樹, 他們的樹枝永遠交纏在一起。